Lost Tombs Discovered On Military Base
If we told you that lost tombs were discovered on a military base, you might think we were talking about some kind of modern remake of the George Romero classic film Day of the Dead. In this case, however, it wasn’t an acclaimed filmmaker who brought the dead back to life; instead, it was a research team from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services unit. This team recently conducted a survey on the former British colony of Cyprus and discovered tombs and other historical sites that date all the way back to the Bronze Age.
Ancient Tombs Found On Cyprus
This team had a very specific goal in mind when beginning their archeological survey. They wanted to relocate about 60 previous sites that had been discovered in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area (ESBA) in the early 1960s. This was before the garrison and Kingsfield Airstrip had been added to the ESBA area.
Considered Unfindable For Decades
At first, you might think finding the “lost” tombs and other sites would be relatively easy since the team had a rough idea of where they had been discovered before. However, it proved surprisingly difficult to reconcile the basic information available on these sites with the high-tech tools and technology now available. It didn’t help that because most of these areas hadn’t been visited in over two decades, and many of them were previously “reported as no longer existing or being findable,” according to researcher Matt Beamish.
Possible Thanks To New Technlogy
As to how those reports happened, Beamish bluntly stated that “this had more to do with inadequate mapping, lack of preparation, and lack of satellite location technologies.” Armed as they were with modern tech, the researcher reports “that many of the sites could be refound with a little bit of patience,” though they had to deal with the inevitable problems of incomplete info and lost data. Fortunately, all of this effort paid off, and the team discovered lost tombs and other sites that most likely stem from the Bronze Age.
Pre-Dates Ancient Greece
One tantalizing discovery the researchers made is that while most of the sites seem to date to the Bronze Age and end around the Byzantine period, some may date to the Hellenistic period and the Roman period. That means this one survey may have resulted in the rediscovery of major archeological finds from three very distinct periods in world history. If you’re wondering how that happened, it’s all about location, location, location: this area is an intersection of Africa, Asia, and Europe, making it something of a cultural melting pot across the millennia.
More Questions Remain
As for the lost tombs that have everyone so excited, some were cut directly into the surrounding rock, and others were built deep within limestone caves. The most significant of the cemeteries was discovered west of Xylotymbou and contained dozens of different tombs. This, combined with the remains of three different coastal quarries that researchers have not been able to date, has given the team involved plenty to sink their teeth into for future research.
A Significant Discovery
Obviously, this is a very significant discovery, one that will be meaningful to archeologists and anyone with a major interest in world history. We’re happy to report that, as of now, none of the lost tombs have produced any zombies hungry for human flesh (not yet, at any rate). If you want to experience that, you’re going to have to go on a survey of your living room to find the lost remote and check out that new Walking Dead spinoff.
